I used to be a gun salesman at a huge destination store. I remember us selling hundreds of guns a day when Clinton was running for President. I'm also a leftist, which was very unusual for a gun salesman.

One time, we had a trans woman come in, and some of the other salesmen started snickering, but I went right up to her. We started talking about what she was looking for, and it turned out she was pretty knowledgeable, as she'd served in the Marines pre-transition. She was looking for a target pistol, and I found a used CZ-75 Shadow in the back and she was super happy with it. We were talking during the background check and checkout process, and she opened up that people had treated her like an outcast at the range and at her church, and I told her about a place I would shoot that was less-Republican, and I even talked to her about the university church I used to work for that had trans people on staff and hosted the annual transgender day of remembrance and told her that there were kind people out there.

Some of the other sales guys spent the whole time snickering, but I didn't care. My managers were thrilled because I was selling to someone that everyone else was ignoring.

The next week she came in with a few trans friends. They were looking for me because they were interested in getting into shooting but didn't want to feel judged. There were a few "Chilie's got some more girlfriends" jokes, but I sold a few more guns.l to people who would end up getting more into the hobby.

Over time, more and more queer people would come in, but I wasn't always there, or I'd be with another customer, so the other salespeople would end up having to help them, and it started to click that they were just people. Eventually, I got promoted away from the department, and I eventually left the store for a real career, but I got to watch the store become a kind of destination shop for queer folk looking for guns. And more remarkably, I saw some pretty hard-core right wing people open their minds a bit.

I'm not going to claim miracles, but the department probably went from 90% anti-trans to like 40%, which isn't amazing, but is a huge improvement. I'm still a little proud that I was able to help start that trend, and I still have left-leaning friends ask me gun advice, or ask me to teach them and their kids about firearm safety even if they hate guns.

At this point, if your state reps are still driven to make more gun laws, they’re not helping. They are ensuring that maga is grandfathered in to gun ownership while the people looking to become gun owners this year are pushed back.

Expense aside I couldn't trust having one so easily accessible to me with what these monsters have done to my mental health.

If you're currently versed in Firearms and are able to start a chapter, or if you are lucky enough to live in an area with a local chapter the SRA is a good organization. However they are apparently fractured and their politics may not align. https://socialistra.org/

Thanks to @supramario@lemmy.world https://www.blazingsword.org/ is better for LGBTQ+ anarchists that tend to not get along with Tankies.

A more decentralized option could be a John Brown Gun Club https://www.counterextremism.com/supremacy/john-brown-gun-club thanks to @sine_fine_belli@lemmy.world for reminding me.

Good basis of organized tactics. The guide below is more about organized movement than direct fire. Below will NOT help you in a firefight as it relies on a much larger trained force than you are likely to have. Good to know what the bastards study though. https://www.trngcmd.marines.mil/Portals/207/Docs/TBS/B2F2837%20Rifle%20Squad%20Tactics.pdf?ver=2015-05-27-100939-710

How to avoid getting balled up and kettled.
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/anarch-ish-how-to-win-at-kettling-a-guide-for-non-policemen

Sabotage guide from WW2
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26184.txt.utf-8

General armed defense
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/organizing-armed-defense-in-america

How to organize a rapid response from a very high level with further detailed resources.
https://southerncoalition.org/resources/rapid-response-101/

Good general advice on organizing, also a good resource to find groups near you that are likely aligned. https://www.fiftyfifty.one/organizer-resources

Feel free to reach out for any other resources.

At some point it just becomes "try to only point your security blanket at yourself, I guess" levels of helplessness.

But to anyone considering buying a gun:

Owing a firearm makes you (as of 2020) 8-35x more likely to kill yourself with it https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/06/handgun-ownership-associated-with-much-higher-suicide-risk.html. And considering this is a purchase during a... let's just say "immensely stressful" period... yeah.

But also... what purpose does it serve? A single ice nazi comes knocking on your door, you spot them through the peephole, and have time to grab your gun, load it, and fire through the door? Then... you flee Everything in the hopes that the cops don't decide to label you a "cop killer" on top of that?

This is why gun nuts make their entire lives built around "systems" to always carry a gun and be able to quick draw. Because the reality is... whoever shoots somewhat accurately first probably "wins". Which leads to "Well... maybe that phone in their pocket they weren't even reaching for is a gun. I am legally justified"

But that also basically works for only the first few people to try it. Everyone else gets a squad of ice nazis either kicking down the door and flashbanging them (and themselves) or just unloading on the house from the curb.

I realize the world is scary. I am scared shitless more often than not. But think through what buying a gun can even accomplish versus all the risks.

Because "If I can't protect myself, who will" is a very valid question... but... the sad reality is that none of us (alone) can protect ourselves. This is WHY republicans and the like are so pro-gun. They know that a "well armed militia" hasn't been able to do shit for decades.

And maybe consider reaching out to your local community organizers to figure out what CAN be accomplished.

All the power to them but it's a bit late to "prepare" for it.